Emmaus High product Andy Davidson still doing his duty for Army football team

David Wild / Army West Point Athletics

Andy Davidson plays fullback in Army's triple-option attack. After a big sophomore season, he found himself with a reduced workload as a junior and this season has just 44 carries for 176 yards and two scores as part of a rotation. Army host Lafayette Saturday.

Andy Davidson plays fullback in Army's triple-option attack. After a big sophomore season, he found himself with a reduced workload as a junior and this season has just 44 carries for 176 yards and two scores as part of a rotation. Army host Lafayette Saturday. (David Wild / Army West Point Athletics)

Paul ReinhardSpecial to The Morning Call

Lack of depth at fullback at Army West Point was so critical in 2016 that Andy Davidson, who was an outstanding two-way player at Emmaus High, was shifted from linebacker to fullback.

In his first five games on offense, the 6-2, 235-pound Davidson ran for 534 yards and six touchdowns. The move was paying big dividends.

Then came Lafayette.

On his first carry, Davidson picked up 11 yards, but he also left the field. He was soon walking the sidelines in a T-shirt, and the only word given in the press box was that he had “some kind of issue.”

“Yeah, it was a major challenge in my sophomore year,” Davidson, now a senior, said via telephone this week in advance of the Cadets’ home game against Lafayette on Saturday. “I had a pretty severe shoulder injury in that game, and that shaped my season that year and shaped my career in terms of giving me some adversity and having to fight back.

“I think it made me a better teammate. I had to take a step back after the injury and let some other guys play, and that definitely put my focus on the team winning instead of on myself.”

Well, the team has been winning – a 25-10 record since Davidson moved to offense – and Davidson has found exactly what he wanted when he chose Army over Navy and a bunch of Patriot League schools because of “a lot of factors, but mainly because I wanted to be the best leader and best man I could be, and I thought this was the best place for that.”

An aggressive and efficient medical staff got him back in a short order, and in 2017, Davidson and classmate Darnell Woolfolk were the heavy duty ammo for Army. They combined for 1,561 yards in 2016 and 1,439 yards in 2017.

“Our depth wasn’t as good back then and we just put it together,” Davidson said. “But now, we’re able to share the load. “[Playing fullback in the Knights’ triple-option offense] is rough on the body, and being able to spread it out saves wear and tear on everyone and it’s good for Army to have us all healthy.”

David Wild / Army West Point Athletics

Army running back Andy Davidson, Emmaus High product

Army running back Andy Davidson, Emmaus High product (David Wild / Army West Point Athletics)

At a time when some teams carry no fullback and others rely on one or two by design, the Cadets, Davidson said, “have five really good dudes” at fullback, even on the road.

“We’re one of the best groups on the team, and every single one of us played last week against Air Force in our biggest game of the season,” he said.

Woolfolk had the most carries, 21 for 117 yards. Davidson was next with eight for 30 yards.

Some people might think he would be a bit disappointed because, after a sophomore season in which he gained 910 yards and scored nine touchdowns, his production has decreased each year. He had 627 yards and five TDs in 2017 and has just 44 carries for 176 yards and two scores this season for a team that is 7-2.

They would be wrong.

“I’ve been redefined every year,” Davidson said. “You do whatever you have to do to help the team win, and thankfully, I’m playing my part the best I can and we’re winning a lot of games. We’re looking forward to winning the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy after we beat Navy in December. That’s the game we’re focused on right now.”

Davidson thinks he’ll be assigned a job in field artillery after his graduation next spring, although he won’t be sure until next Wednesday when the announcement is officially made.

“This is an exciting time for seniors,” he said.

After this week, Army has a date with undefeated Patriot League-champion Colgate before the classic Army-Navy game Dec. 8 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

The Knights are already bowl eligible for the third straight year. They were successful in the Armed Forces Bowl after 2016 and the Heart of Texas Bowl after 2017.

Davidson is looking forward to ending his career with one last bowl win.

Special decals

In honor of their opponent and Veterans Day, Lafayette will wear custom decals on their helmets on Saturday. Each player submitted a photo of someone close to them who is serving or has served in a branch of the military, and the picture was incorporated into the “L” on the decal.